St Joseph's/Candler Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Job Description:

Under the general direction of the Director and Department Manager, provides advanced pharmaceutical care according to standards established by the Department of Clinical Pharmacy to all patients. Assists in the development and coordination of clinical pharmacy services and educational programs for the Department. Responsible for providing tools and educational opportunities to enhance services provided by all staff members. Participates on intra- and interdepartmental committees as assigned. Serves as preceptor to pharmacy students and residents as assigned. Participates in the development of institution-wide drug use policy. Responsible for ensuring safe and efficient drug distribution and control system. Participates in supervision of technical staff. Participates in clinical research with medical, dental and other Health System staff. 

St Joseph's/Candler Oncology Services

Inpatient Oncology Services

                A full time, clinical oncology pharmacy specialist services a 30 bed floor, with 4 dedicated neutropenic precaution beds. The clinical pharmacy specialist most commonly assists with the dosing and regimens most commonly for:

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia (7+3-I Induction, HiDAC Consolidation)
• Aggressive Lymphomas: EPOCH +/- Rituximab
• Primary CNS Lymphoma – High Dose Methotrexate +/- Rituximab
• Acute Lyphoid Leukemia (HyperCVAD)
• Burkitt’s Lymphoma (HyperCVAD)
• Aggressive Lymphomas: EPOCH

The inpatient clinical pharmacist also follows patients admitted with oncologic emergencies (Hypercalcemia, Febrile Neutropenia, Superior Vena Cava Syndrome, Spinal Cord Compression) and with chemotherapy-related side effects that can’t be managed in the outpatient clinic (intractable n/v, dehydration, diarrhea, mucositis, AKI, etc.) and pain management. Post-Operative patients, non-malignant hemotology patients and new start oncology patient education are other inpatient activities performed by the inpatient clinical specialist.

Chemotherapy Protocol Development, Maintenance, and Committees

Pharmacy develops and maintains all chemotherapy order sets. Chemotherapy regimens are built in the outpatient EMR (Varian) and are ordered electronically in that setting. Paper chemotherapy order sets are used for inpatients and for patients in one outpatient infusion clinic. For all new regimens, a paper order set is created by pharmacy and approved by the Oncology Review Panel before use.  The regimen is then built electronically in the outpatient EMR by pharmacy. In addition to the Oncology Review Panel, there are the Hazardous Medication Safety Committee, Cancer Committee and Tumor Boards.

Outpatient Oncology Pharmacy Services

                The outpatient oncology pharmacy housed at the Lewis Cancer and Research Pavilion provides the oncology pharmacy compounding for the inpatient Candler Hospital Oncology patients, an infusion center suite as well as working closely with two private Medical Oncology Groups in Savannah and one Gynecological/oncology group:

• Summit Cancer Care (4 oncologists: Dr’s Taylor, Lewis, Spellman, Goldberg and 5 mid-levels)
• Low Country Cancer Care (2 oncologists: Dr’s Negrea, Yannucci and 3 mid-levels)
• SJCHS Gynecological Oncology (2 Gyn/Onc Surgeons Dr’s Richards and Gill)

 Outlying Oncology Pharmacy Services

St Joseph’s/Candler Health System also provides outpatient oncology services in Hilton Head and Bluffton, SC – each home to a dedicated outpatient oncology pharmacy. These pharmacies work directly with one oncologist, Dr Gary Thomas. New outpatient oncology services in the coastal and middle Georgia areas are under development